men's basketball players huddled with head coach Duane Simpkins
Ben Kanter

Men's Basketball

Men's Basketball Begins Two-Game Road Swing at Bucknell on Wednesday


Quick Info
  • Date/Time: Wednesday, February 18; 7 pm
  • Site: Lewisburg, Pa. (Sojka Pavilion)
  • Series History: Bucknell leads, 50-31
  • TV: ESPN+
  • Talent: Doug Birdsong
Series History
  • Bucknell leads American 50-31 in the all-time series. The Bison have won two straight, but the Eagles have won four of the last seven games.
  • Last season, AU come back from an 11-point halftime deficit to win 68-58 at home, starting what become a seven-game win streak. 
  • That streak was snapped when AU made the trip to Bucknell with a shorthanded squad due to illness and lost 71-49.
  • Two years ago, the Bison ended AU's season, handing the Eagles an 80-57 home loss in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Patriot League Tournament after AU had won both regular-season meetings.
What to Know About American
  • The Eagles snapped a five-game skid this past weekend with a home win over Army, led by 22 points from freshman Madden Collins.
  • Two of the recent losses were on back-to-back buzzer-beating shots, and the Eagles are getting a rematch with both of those teams this week. First up is Bucknell, after Achile Spadone hit a 30-footer for a 60-59 win at AU just two weeks ago.
  • AU remains the only Patriot League team to have beaten Navy this season, winning 65-51 behind a career-high 23 points from Greg Jones.
  • Bucknell has two wins in a row against AU. In last year's second meeting, the Eagles lost 71-49 in Lewisburg with a shorthanded squad due to illness.
  • Seven players—Madden Collins, Greg Jones, Julen Iturbe, Wyatt Nausadis, Kade Sebastian, Geoff Sprouse, and Dean Hogans—have all been leading scorers for AU this season.
  • Collins turned in an impressive performance in the win over Army on Feb. 14, hitting 9-of-11 from the field on his way to his sixth 20-point effort of the season. He leads AU with 13.5 points per game, followed by Jones with 12.3 points per game.
  • As a team, AU leads the PL in turnover margin (2.15), and steals (7.85 per game). The Eagles rank second in scoring defense (72.0 ppg) and second in free-throw percentage (.754). Their FT percentage is also good enough for 73rd in NCAA Division I.
  • Senior Geoff Sprouse ranks sixth in the Patriot League with 2.2 3-pt FG made per game.
 What to Know About Bucknell
  • The Bison have lost three straight since their buzzer-beating victory at AU on Feb. 4, most recently falling 82-69 at BU on Feb. 14.
  • Bucknell played a tough non-conference slate and started 2-0 before falling in nine straight games. The Bison then went 4-3 before a four-game slide in PL play. After back-to-back wins over BU (Jan. 31) and AU (Feb. 4), they are once again looking to break a losing streak, currently sitting in a tie for seventh at 5-9.
  • Freshman Amon Dörries leads Bucknell with 15.1 points per game, with three others also averaging in double digits in scoring. Sophomore guard Jayden Williams ranks fifth in the PL with 4.1 assists per game, and third in assist/turnover ratio at 2.2. Senior Achile Spadone, who hit the buzzer-beater against AU, leads Bucknell and ranks seventh in the PL with 5.8 rebounds per game.
  • The Bison have been shorthanded and have played without as many as five scholarship players for much of the season.
  • John Griffin III, a 2008 Bucknell graduate and standout guard at Bucknell, is in his third season as head coach. Bucknell went 14-19 overall and 10-8 in the Patriot League in his first season, and then last year improved to 18-15 overall and 13-5 in the Patriot League.

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Players Mentioned

Julen Iturbe

#32 Julen Iturbe

F
6' 7"
Sophomore
Greg Jones

#23 Greg Jones

F
6' 6"
Junior
Wyatt Nausadis

#7 Wyatt Nausadis

G
6' 4"
Sophomore
Geoff Sprouse

#12 Geoff Sprouse

G
6' 1"
Senior
Madden Collins

#2 Madden Collins

G
6' 5"
Freshman
Dean Hogans

#3 Dean Hogans

G
6' 4"
Freshman
Kade Sebastian

#4 Kade Sebastian

G
6' 4"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Julen Iturbe

#32 Julen Iturbe

6' 7"
Sophomore
F
Greg Jones

#23 Greg Jones

6' 6"
Junior
F
Wyatt Nausadis

#7 Wyatt Nausadis

6' 4"
Sophomore
G
Geoff Sprouse

#12 Geoff Sprouse

6' 1"
Senior
G
Madden Collins

#2 Madden Collins

6' 5"
Freshman
G
Dean Hogans

#3 Dean Hogans

6' 4"
Freshman
G
Kade Sebastian

#4 Kade Sebastian

6' 4"
Freshman
G